Just a few of my thoughts on a regular basis. Nothing more, nothing less... maybe nothing worthwhile at all. Just stuff from my head to your eyes.

It's not as odd as it sounds...

Prayer happens everywhere, even in the tanning bed.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Why I'm doing what I'm doing,

image property of doTERRA

I've never been successful trying to run a home business. Partly because I've not been "sold out" by the product (please don't compare this sold out to being sold out for Christ b/c there will never be a comparison). Partly because I am just not a sales person. Friends who have been incredibly successful with their businesses have been very aggressive in their sales techniques and I have always been uncomfortable with doing that. I have always desired to choose what I wanted when I wanted it and didn't feel the need to have someone present their product to me through a phone call or a visit or in whatever form or fashion you have to do that. I refuse to even sit through a condo presentation for a free week of vacation. Oh how Michael has been disappointed over and over again as he would rather scratch out his eyes through one of those presentations if it meant our lodging was free than spare himself the agony. I could never bring myself to do it knowing full well that either we didn't have the money to invest in a condo regardless of how much we wanted to or we just weren't interested. I felt that it wasn't fair to the sales person.

And then... Obama won his second term.

Yes, a lot changed for me when that happened. Since Michael is a government employee I became concerned about how much control the Feds have over our income, our savings and our retirement funds.

Without going into gross detail of why I'm concerned let me just say I would not be surprised if there was a day when we were informed that our retirement savings had been confiscated for the good of the country. My faith is not in our retirement account but it would be much easier to pay our mortgage when the time comes if we actually had money to pay it.

image property of doTERRA

In addition to wondering how I could possibly add to our income without sacrificing my mental health and what I wanted for our family and what God had called me to do as a mother I had been increasingly interested in some of the natural foods and remedies introduced to me by my sister-in-law, Na.

Na had been diagnosed with Ovarian cancer years ago and upon it's re-occurrence about 5 years ago and going through yet another year of Chemo, had decided to investigate other areas of healthcare. She had given modern medicine the good college try, twice, and was missing out on her life and the joy of her family because of how dreadfully sick her treatments made her.

Among so many things she taught me, informed me about, and introduced me to, essential oils piqued my interest the most. To me it was something that I could introduce to my family and incorporate into our lifestyle. Although I have a myriad of doctors and pharmacists in my family and am in no way anti-medicine, I am a "look at the big picture" kind of person. I have never believed that it was the best way to go to rush into the doctors office or to rush to the pharmacy when I could pinpoint in my own behavior what could be causing some of my problems.

I also took notice of the spiking numbers of certain illnesses, especially in children. No, I don't believe vaccines cause autism. Too many children have gotten vaccines and not become Autistic for me to believe it's that simple. However, I do question the numbers of vaccines that are given at the same time and the cocktails that are being made to turn 3 vaccines into one. I even refuse to allow our vet to give Elliot all his annual shots at the same time because he gets dreadfully ill when he receives them all in one day. If an animal can get that sick over a handful or less of shots at the same time, imagine what it does to a precious baby or toddler to receive all that medicine in their bodies at one time and then to process it all. Common sense says that it can't be a good thing.

We have become incredibly complacent in this country. Trusting the "professionals" above our own instincts or intuitions. For my grandmother or mother it was trusting Walter Cronkite or Dan Rather as if they didn't ever have their own agenda and were never gate keeping or skewing the news. We have since found out that, frankly, we can't fully believe any news source and thanks to technology we have the ability to investigate and compile our own information and to search many sources all over the world to find out what is truth and what is questionable.

In the same way, it seems like the medical community has relied on what the FDA, a government agency, has suggested for far too long as if they have never been wrong in devastating ways. The truth is, people are fallible, just because a group of people suggest that particular drugs are safe doesn't mean they really are. Just because a group of people suggest that a particular drug or surgery will solve your problem doesn't mean it will. We put too much pressure on our precious doctors and pharmacists to have all the answers for us when we fail to look in the mirror and admit that there are things we can do ourselves, lifestyle choices that might need to be changed, that can make all the difference in how and if we need to be treated at all.

As I have watched the numbers of illnesses rise in remarkable ways I have begun to wonder why so few in the medical community have asked the public to consider what we are eating, drinking, or injecting. We seem to be so eager to discuss what we are breathing in and working so hard to be careful about what we are putting into the air and yet the concentration of "pollution" in our air is not nearly at the levels we breath in as what we ingest.

Don't misunderstand me. If you have read carefully you understand that I am in no way anti-medical or anti-pharmaceutical. I've had surgery and been incredibly grateful for the drugs that put me to sleep and eased my pain. I've had illnesses that have warranted medication that I have been thankful to have available to me. I've given my children medicines to ease their discomfort and or to rid them of illnesses that have set them back. All of my children have been vaccinated to the degree that is necessary. I am grateful that God has blessed us with men and women who work diligently in every arena of medicine in order that we can have the health that we have so blessedly attained in this country. I'm also incredulous when I learn of ways we have been able to help others in countries with little to nothing in the form of medical care and how their people have been saved by the thousands because of something that to us is simple and easy.

BUT...

I refuse to believe that there aren't other options that we as intelligent beings could be doing to help ourselves before we pass through the doors of our local doctor's office or pharmacy. So many of us pack out doctor's offices and emergency rooms because we don't want to adjust our living conditions, our habits, our lifestyles to feel better or to get well. We would just rather have the doc lecture us and write a prescription that will get us back on our feet until the next time we have a set back.

It was obvious to me that Na wasn't going to beat her cancer with the Chemo. It was also obvious to me that if she continued on that path she would die with absolutely no quality of life or precious memories with her family. In my opinion she took the right road. She changed her family's lifestyle in many drastic ways and for the next couple of years looked healthier and happier than I'd seen her in ages. She enabled my brother, through her altering of their diet and other lifestyle changes to completely remove his high blood pressure and diabetes medications from his daily ritual. He looked 10 years younger in a matter of three months. All of this happened because she chose to change their eating, cleaning, and cosmetic habits. In short, she took the chemicals and additives away from their food, cleaning products, and cosmetics (everything from soap to shampoo to mascara) and before my eyes, I saw a family physically transformed.

None of it was lost on me so when a couple months ago I saw an almost free book for my Kindle on Essential Oils, I pounced on it and began to read it. It was fascinating and as I read I wondered how I'd get a hold of all those oils that she wrote about. How would I be able to utilize them in the ways that I thought necessary for my family?

Days later, not coincidentally, I was listening to a podcast by one of my favorite preachers, John MacArthur. It was on being a woman of God and all that entailed and he focused on Proverbs 31, of course. I was waiting for the feeling of inadequacy that I was sure would come along with listening to his message but that is not what happened. What I heard, what stood out was his comment about how she had a job, she earned money, she bought land. She did all of that without sacrificing her family. I knew then... I needed a job that I could do at home. A job like all those other "jobs" I hated so much.

How was I going to find a company selling a product that I thought I could totally love, use completely, didn't see as a passing fad and feel sure that I was participating is something legal, fair, and ethical? The biggest set back was to find a business that wasn't already over sold in our area.

Within two days the Lord put all that I'd been struggling with together in a little sweet smelling (literally) package. It was called doTERRA.

image property of doTerra

I had never heard of doTerra before so I was intrigued. To add to my excitement to discover such a company, I was introduced to it through a friend who I'd not spent quality time with in several years and this meant we would be able to reestablish our relationship. I was thrilled.

The more I investigated the product and their compensation package I realized that this was something I could dive head-first into. This was something that was so perfect for our family and the lifestyle we lived and what I wanted to provide for all of us. These would naturally be a part of our everyday life and it would be easy to share my love of essential oils with my friends, family and anyone I met that might be interested.

image property of doTERRA

I also loved the fact that these oils would so perfectly coincide with other businesses and lifestyle changes that my friends were involved in. Essential Oils so perfectly piggy back the healthy lifestyles that my Advocare and Isagenix friends are working toward. Other friends have made commitments to a healthy lifestyle this year by dieting and going to the gym. What a perfect addition to their new habit forming by adding Essential Oils to their new habits.

I have so many friends with new babies and young children that are struggling to figure out how to keep their home clean without all the chemicals used in today's products. Essential Oils solves that problem as well. There are just so many ways we can bless our home and family with these oils that I couldn't turn down what I thought was a great opportunity.

So, all this to say, I'm in. I'm in in a very big way. I've decided to call my company Elisha's Joy referencing 2Kings 4:1-7 and Isa 61:3. I will be holding classes all summer with special guest teachers/speakers from this area to enable you to learn how to "Makeover Your Medicine Cabinet", "Care for Baby in a More Natural Way", and even how to "Clean Up Your Cleaning Up"

My first class will be a "Makeover Your Medicine Cabinet" on June 4th at 6:30 here at my place. If you are at all intrigued by what I'm up to. If you know a little or a lot about Essential Oils and want to put it into practice even more than you have. If you are, like I was, looking for a way to invest in a business that won't negatively affect what you know God has called you to do and be for your family. Plan on coming to our gathering. Facebook or email me if you'd like directions. I'd love to see you there.

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These are just some thoughts from my heart. There's nothing gained by comments that aren't encouraging or edifying. It's not that I don't want you to share your thoughts but think through what you want to say before you say it. If it wouldn't encourage or entertain you, then it won't us either... If it will, then by all means, we want to read it!